Until she became mine.
Aurora’s eyes glimmer with unshed tears. She’s waiting for anger and accusations. Braced for punishment.
An emotion I’m afraid to name knifes through me. “You’re safe now. Both of you.”
I stride from the bedroom, already pulling out my phone and calculating angles, assets, and kill zones.
The first call goes to Sasha. He answers on the second ring, and I immediately begin barking orders. “Get four more men on Samantha Bailey. Northwestern. Allison Hall, third floor, east wing. I want eyes on her twenty-four seven starting immediately. Use the younger guys who can blend in on a college campus. She shouldn’t know they’re there.”
“What’s going?—”
“Now.” I end the call before he can ask questions I don’t have time to answer.
I call Trevor next. My oldest friend. He’s not Bratva, but I trust him with my life. As the owner of a bar, he hears more than most and doesn’t mind sharing that information with me. That’s as close as he’ll get to anything illegal.
“I need everything you have on Salvatore Giovanni Harrison Falcone.”
A beat of silence. “I’ll send what I have. Last known location was his father’s compound, but he’s been moving around a lot lately. Unpredictable.”
His father’s compound, where he hosts his parties. “Find him.”
“Consider it done.” No questions. No hesitation. That’s what true friends do in emergencies.
I hang up and stalk through the loft, body thrumming with purpose. The rage crystallizes, becoming colder and more focused.
Gio’s already dead. He just doesn’t realize it yet.
I’m halfway to the door, keys in hand, guns checked and loaded, when I sense Aurora behind me. Whirling, I find her in the bedroom doorway, arms hugging her waist. Her tight shoulders and pale face convey her unhappiness. She seems smaller somehow, diminished by terror. Holding on to nothing but herself.
I slam to a halt.
She’s dressed for her art show. Hair done, makeup perfect, decked out in a floor-length emerald satin gown with a plunging V-neckline that deepens the green of her eyes. Tonight is her night. The culmination of her work and dreams. And I was about to storm out on her to hunt Gio down.
Near my heart, plates grind against each other, reconfiguring into a new shape. For the first time since MJ died—hell, maybe for the first time in my life—I find myself putting someone else’s needs ahead of my own violent impulses.
The rage floods my veins and tastes metallic and sharp on my tongue. I force the fury down, caging it.
Gio can wait. I’ll rip his world apart, piece by piece. Tomorrow, he’ll regret ever laying eyes on Aurora.
But tonight belongs to her.
Chapter 44
Alexei
I cross the space between us in four long strides.
Her eyes widen as I approach, but she doesn’t back away or flinch. She just watches, probably waiting to find out which version of me will emerge from this rage. I stop before her, close enough to feel the heat of her body and smell her perfume. Close enough that she has to tilt her head back to meet my eyes.
I cup her cheeks in my hands, forcing gentleness into my touch even though every primal instinct inside me wants to break something.
“No one threatens what’s mine.” The words are rough, scraped raw by the effort of restraining myself. “No one hurts you. No one touches your sister. Not while I’m breathing.”
A single tear escapes, sliding down her cheek to meet my thumb. I brush it away. “I should have told you sooner. I was just so scared.”
“How am I supposed to protect you when you hide things from me? You’re not alone anymore.” I press my forehead to hers, breathing her in. “You have me.Allof me.”
And it’s true, surprising as the revelation is. She does have all of me. Not just my name, my protection, and my body,but the pieces I’ve kept locked away. The pieces I didn’t think existed anymore.
